Jorginho has remained coy about his Chelsea future as the Italian midfielder approaches the final six months of his current deal. The Blues star becomes eligible to speak to other clubs and to sign a pre-contract come 2023, with the likes of Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante in the same situation.
It is a familiar position for Chelsea who saw Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leave the club for free in the summer, while Silva himself only saw his deal extended in January 2022 to avoid the same fate. Former head coach Thomas Tuchel had hoped to see Jorginho and Kante's futures resolved early, regardless of the outcome but that did not materialise, with negotiations not beginning in earnest until the season was underway.
Earlier this term, it was suggested that Jorginho was prioritising extending his stay in west London, though the Italian's agent had also sparked speculation when he appeared in Barcelona. Nevertheless, Jorginho appears fairly relaxed about the situation.
"It’s normal to speak about it…" the 30-year-old said to Sky Sports, laughing. "You said that was the last question… so, ciao ciao," he added as he departed.
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The former Napoli star will have seen his importance increase in recent months with Kante out injured until February, Ruben Loftus-Cheek picking up an issue against Newcastle, while Mateo Kovacic has yet to return to Cobham after Croatia's progression to third place in the World Cup.
Jorginho will be set to start against Bournemouth, with an opportunity awaiting one of his teammates. Having not qualified for the tournament in Qatar with Italy, the central midfield ace took little interest in the World Cup to start off with.
He said: "It was very difficult, especially at the beginning it was very difficult, honestly. I didn't want to watch the games, I went on a family trip. I watched a couple of matches where friends were playing, but I didn't even know the times. I didn't care. Towards the end the football lover in me came back and I started watching some challenges."
Chelsea's new ownership saw their summer initially dominated by the prospect of replacing Rudiger and Christensen, eventually adding Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana. Currently that future lies in wait for the Blues' midfield with Denis Zakaria's loan set to end in addition to contract issues concerning Kante and Jorginho.
Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham will be of interest to Chelsea's hierarchy, but it could see a more stark transition than ideal. Boehly attempted to add Edson Alvarez to the Blues' ranks in the summer, with the Mexican still favouring a move to west London.
With January just over one week away, and the prospect of other clubs making deals with out of contract stars more difficult, if they're wanted at all, the clock is ticking to avoid a repeat of playing catch up in the summer.
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